Flamingo Beach Club has made its name as a family-friendly beach club and we were curious to see exactly what that meant.
So, we despatched our wonderful review team for a day to find out. We have to note that they didn’t take any children with them, nor did they borrow any, but they did see other people’s kids having fun while they were there.
And this is what they learned about this pleasant family-friendly beach club in Bali.
Introduction – Getting To Flamingo Beach Club
Flamingo Beach Club is on the East Coast of Bali and that means getting there can be a bit of a trek from most of the island.
If you’re thinking of heading to Amed, then it might be an ideal stopping point on the way, alternatively, you might choose to spend a night in the Saba Beach area to make the most of this family-friendly beach club.
Where Is Flamingo Beach Club? Jl. Pantai Saba, Saba, Kec. Blahbatuh, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80581
Website: Flamingo Beach Club
Opening Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day except Nyepi
What’s Inside Flamingo Beach Club?
Flamingo Bali Beach Club has an infinity pool, a kids pool, a pirate-themed playground and a restaurant/bar area as well as a variety of seating options.
Our Review Breakdown For Flamingo Beach Club
All of our beach club reviews are conducted on the same basis to ensure fairness and provide an easy comparison for our readers.
We send the review team out to the beach club where they each assess the club on the basis of 20 different criteria (those listed below, in fact).
They grade each criterion between 1 (worst) and 5 (best). Then, when they return to the office, they vote on the final grade in each category to ensure that our marks are a fair reflection of the group experience.
Then somebody writes up a review around the grades and the feedback of the team. Once we publish the review it remains in place for, at least, one year before we go back to re-evaluate the club and adjust ratings as necessary.
Pre-Club Advertising
We’ve never seen an advert for this family-friendly beach club though it does have some positive coverage online.
Our guess is that because they’re aimed at families, there’s less pressure to pack out Flamingo Bali Beach Club than there is at other beach clubs.
However, we still feel that beach clubs are best when they’re nearly full and advertising helps them to achieve that.
Location
This isn’t the best location for a beach club, it’s a fairly long drive from most of the beach towns and Ubud, though it’s not so far from Denpasar.
If we were going to spend time at Flamingo Beach Club on holiday, it would be because we’d decided to stay in the area or were on our way to Amed.
It’s a bit of a hike otherwise, but then we’re not on holiday with our children, if we were, it might be worth the journey.
Booking Process & Seating Options
The Flamingo Beach Club has a reasonable website and it’s easy enough to make a reservation for a particular type of seating online.
However, we would note that the Flamingo Bali Beach Club doesn’t let you select a specific seat, just a type of seat.
We do like that they’re very clear about the minimum spend level that you are committing to though, some other beach clubs could learn from this – transparency is always a good thing.
Overall, this is a decent but not exceptional process to reserve a seat at the Flamingo Beach Club.
Entry Fee
There is no entry fee at Flamingo Beach Club (except in the case of a special event and Flamingo Bali Beach Club doesn’t hold many special events (though it does hold private events).
We approve of this, but as every seat inside the Flamingo Beach Club requires that you commit to a minimum spend, we have to ask, is it really free to entr?
Our view is that everyone should be able to take a seat and decide if a palce is for them before they have to spend any money at all in a beach club.
Minimum Spend
There is a minimum spend for all seats inside the Flamingo Bali Beach Club and you should be warned that these are tiered prices with a lower requirement during the week than on the weekends.
The good news is that the minimum spend is unlikely to break the bank for most people a 1 person indoor seat is just 100,000 IDR in the week and 150,000 IDR on weekends.
A 2-person sun bed near the infinity pool is 400,000 and 600,000 IDR respectively, and the garden cabanas are 600,000 and 800,000 IDR and can accommodate up to 5 people.
Also by the infinity pool, you can get a poolside cabana and it will be 800,000 IDR in the week and 1,200,000 on weekends and can hold up to 5 people.
We think this is very good value for money and doesn’t commit you to spending a fortune at Flamingo Beach Club.
It makes up for the lack of any no-minimum-spend seating to some extent too.
One nice touch at this Saba Beach Club is that you get free cancellation if you want to change your selected date and let the club know, at least, 24 hours in advance.
Welcome And Security
We found the welcome at Flamingo Beach Club to be very friendly and it reflected well on the standard of Balinese hospitality that we’ve come to expect on this paradise island.
However, we have to deduct some marks here as on our visit, we were not subjected to a bag check.
We like security checks as they help to ensure the safety of all the guests inside a beach club.
Inclusions
Towels are included with sunbeds and cabanas but not with the indoor seating, so you will have to pay a towel rental fee if you want to use the pool from those seats.
This is fairly standard for beach clubs in Bali and we don’t think that this beach club excels or underperforms in this area.
We would note that there is no VIP or premier tier of inclusions which is a bit of a shame as we feel this is a big area of opportunity for beach clubs to improve their guest experience and make a little more money as they do so.
Service
The service was very good at this family-friendly beach club and we were pleasantly surprised when the staff gave us a food and beverage voucher for more than our minimum spend when we booked a cabana!
We don’t think this was the best service we’ve ever had in a beach club but it was very good and Flamingo Beach Club made a very positive impression on us.
Entertainment
This isn’t really a beach club for entertainment. The emphasis is on kids and family and there’s a lot of stuff going on for kids like face painting, a foam party, horse riding, etc.
But there are no DJs and the music is very much a background consideration.
Pool Quality
We found both the infinity pool and the kids pool to be very accessible and you could swim in them both until the Flamingo Beach Club got very busy.
The water was clean and that’s something we find very important. We wouldn’t swim on Saba Beach itself, so we think the pool quality matters here.
Menu/Drinks Pricing
It may be the fact that they’re on the East Coast in a less prime position but if you are used to high prices in beach clubs, you’re going to be very pleasantly surprised in Flamingo Beach Club.
The delicious cuisine here is roughly half the price of any other beach club except the tiny warung-style operations.
The drinks are also reasonably priced though not as much cheaper than other clubs as the food is.
Food And Drink Quality
The delicious food also represents bang for buck with large portions and it’s well presented to.
It’s not in the fine dining category, but if you like simple hearty fare, you won’t be disappointed.
The drinks were OK, nothing to write home about but strong enough.
Sunset View
Sadly, if you want a great sunset view, this isn’t the right beach club for you, the sun sets behind the club rather than over the ocean.
If you get here for sunrise, that’s a completely different story, mind you. But you’ll have to wait for 11 a.m. for the beach club to open its doors.
Music And Ambiance
It’s a very family-friendly vibe with piped music to match that expectation.
Payment Options
You can pay by cash or card, but we didn’t see any facility for QRIS or e-wallet payments.
Exit Process
This isn’t a huge beach club and you leave by walking out the way you came in. The staff will wish you a hearty farewell too.
Transportation
Unfortunately, this isn’t the best location for a Grab or Gojek and you will need to book before you leave the club or risk a long wait in the sun.
There isn’t even much of a taxi mafia presence if you want to take an overpriced cab instead.
If you drove yourself, there’s ample cheap parking avaialble around Saba Beach.
Social Media Presence
Flamingo Beach Club has a decent social media presence and it’s regularly updated but sadly, they seem to have fallen into the trap of photographing a nearly empty club.
This seems bizarre given how busy it was when we visited. However, our issue is that it doesn’t quite reflect the actual experience of this club though it does show a lot of kids having fun.
Other/General Comments
Flamingo Beach Club might be onto something in Bali’s crowded beach club market. We couldn’t get over how busy it was on our visit!
With more and more beach clubs going adults-only (and you can’t blame them, what child needs to see a bunch of drunk people pawing at each other by the infinity pool?) this is clearly a niche that people need.
However, there were times it was verging on “too busy” and it might be a good idea to implement a slightly stricter door policy or raise the minimum spend a little to keep the numbers manageable.
Our Overall Opinion Of Flamingo Beach Club
If you need a family-friendly beach club then we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Flamingo Beach Club.
It has delicious food and drink, a nice pool area and plenty of stuff for the kids to get involved with including a cool foam party for children.
However, if you don’t have kids, you can probably find a beach club closer to where you’re staying that’s more suited to your tastes.
FAQs
Can You Swim At Flamingo Beach Club?
Yes, there is a decent-sized infinity pool for adults and a kids pool to ensure that the little ones can have a good time too.
What Can You Do At Flamingo Beach Club?
You can swim, relax in the sun, eat delicious cuisine, join the occasional foam party and enjoy cold drinks with friends.
Looking for a beach club with a bit more to do? Check out all the beach clubs in Bali and find one better suited to your needs.
Is Flamingo Beach Club A Family-Friendly Venue?
Yes, not only are children welcome in every area of this family-friendly beach club but there’s even a pirate-themed playground for the little ones to enjoy.
The kids’ pool is good too and ensures that your little ones are always safe on this spot near Saba Beach.
Families say that this is one of the most fun spots on the island for a day out as a family. Here are some other great family-friendly beach clubs in Bali.
Who Owns Flamingo Beach Club?
The ownership of Flamingo Bali Beach Club is not a matter of public record.
Final Thoughts On Flamingo Beach Club
If you need a family-friendly beach club then that’s where the Flamingo Beach Club really excels.
Many other beach clubs claim to be a family-friendly beach club but they don’t really have much for kids to do.
With a kids pool and a pirate-themed playground, this small beach club located on Saba Beach definitely goes the extra mile to ensure all their guests, no matter how old they are, have a good time.
Flamingo Beach Club can’t compete with the big-name beach clubs for an adults-only experience but for families, it has a lot to recommend it.
If you enjoyed this review, why not check out our reviews of Ohana’s Beach Club and Single Fin Beach Club too?
